Archive of Our Own ^beta

Gerri sat on the couch reading when she heard Roman come in and begin pacing around the room. This was a common occurrence after his virtual therapy sessions and she knew it was best to wait for him to get out of his head before she tried to talk to him. He would come to her when he was ready and at that time she’d be waiting to give him whatever he needed. Most often what he needed was a tight hug and the gentle scratching of her nails behind his ears. The similarities between her slime puppy and an actual puppy were more numerous than Gerri would have expected, but it certainly didn’t make her love him any less. If anything she loved him a little more.

He was so incredibly different from his father. Logan never would have allowed anyone to see him as something so weak as a puppy. As someone so weak as to easily express love and be loved in return. Roman was so full of love his cup runneth over.

When he finally sat down, Gerri glanced at him out of the corner of her eye in an attempt to gain some kind of insight into his mood. She knew he’d tell her eventually, but it was helpful to have a hint ahead of time. That way she could prepare herself for whatever he’d need from her. In this instance he looked…nervous. He was licking his lips and playing with the bracelets that he’d started wearing since they got together the year prior. It also looked like he was taking deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down.

Giving up the pretense of waiting for him - if he was this nervous it couldn’t be about anything good and she was going to do whatever was necessary to help him through it - Gerri set her book aside and turned to face him, reaching out but not quite touching his arm. “Rome? Honey, what’s wrong?”

Roman startled and when he looked up, Gerri could tell that he’d been crying during the session. Usually that meant they’d talked about his dad or Kendall. The two men in his life that he’d love the most and then lost within a week of each other - Logan to death and Kendall to his own hubris. He opened his mouth to answer, but promptly shut it again shaking his head slightly. Shifting closer, Gerri allowed her hand to alight on his arm and rubbed it softly.

“What’s going on? Did something happen in therapy? Did you talk about…either of them?”

He shook his head more firmly and placed his hand over hers, tangling their fingers together while clearing his throat to speak. “No. I mean, yeah. But no.” He paused and shook his head again. “Fuck I’m not making sense.”

“It’s okay. Just take a deep breath or two and you can try again.” She placed her free hand on his knee, squeezing it encouragingly.

Roman did exactly as she said. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply through his nose, exhaled through his mouth, and opened his eyes again to look into hers. She searched his eyes for a sign that he was truly feeling better and all she found was a deep, unabiding love. Fuck it took her breath away when he looked at her like that. Not even Baird had done that to her or looked at her that way. Gerri stayed quiet and allowed Roman to work through whatever anxiety he was experiencing, but ensured he could see her love for him in return.

“We did talk about dad, and a little bit about Kendall. But mostly we talked about me. And the feelings I’ve had for different people over the years. And how it relates to you and our relationship.” His voice shook ever so slightly, but he still appeared calmer than he had been when he first sat down. Gerri smiled patiently and nodded for him to continue. “Gerri, I’m bisexual.”

In Gerri’s defense, she didn’t intend to laugh at him. And she would never do so in a way that would purposely upset him. But…it was just such an obvious statement. One that she thought he knew already. One that she thought everyone knew already. Wasn’t that why Logan was such a dick to him all the time?

Apparently it was not and apparently Roman hadn’t previously been aware of his bisexuality. A fact that became immediately clear when his eyes filled with tears and he abruptly stood up before storming into their bedroom. He’d been in there for ten minutes now and Gerri was almost certain he was crying. Like full on, tears streaming down his face, crying. And it was her fault.

Well shit.

With a heavy sigh, Gerri got up and walked up to the closed door of their room. She quietly listened for a few moments before knocking gently and opening the door to peer into the room. She could see him on the bed, his back to her, and could hear his ragged breathing. He was either actually crying or actively trying not to. In either case, Gerri was devastated that she’d been the cause of his despair. She pushed the door open slowly and walked into the room, quietly closing it behind her.

Making her way to the end of the bed, Gerri bit her lip before speaking softly. “Rome, honey? I’m sorry. I really am.”

Roman turned onto his back and she could see with certainty that he’d been crying again and the thought caused her stomach to churn. Fuck this wasn’t what she wanted. She never wanted to hurt him. Never wanted to be the cause of his pain. Sure they had arguments now and then, but they never deliberately hurt each other. It had been an unspoken vow between them since they’d gotten together.

He didn’t respond to her apology. Just stared at her silently waiting for more. And yeah that was fair. He’d been incredibly vulnerable and open with her, and she’d responded by laughing in his face. God she was a piece of shit sometimes.

Climbing onto the bed, Gerri crawled up until she was laying on her side next to him. As she moved he shifted to face her, but still he stayed quiet. Waiting. Gerri closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing with her apology.

“I really am sorry. You allowed yourself to be vulnerable with me and I laughed in your face. I know that kind of reaction is not encouraging to you and has the potential to make you feel uncomfortable sharing with me.” She tentatively rested her hand on the bed between them and breathed out a soft sigh of relief when he took it in his own. “My reaction was inappropriate and for that I am so incredibly sorry. But…”

Roman raised an eyebrow, no doubt remembering the multiple times his father had told him that an apology wasn’t a real apology if you follow your ‘sorry’ with the word ‘but’.

“I know, I know. Just go with me here.” She lifted up onto her elbow and leaned over so she could kiss his cheek. “But honey…I already knew you were bisexual.”

His mouth dropped in surprise and he reeled back as far as he could while in bed under her. “W-what? How? There’s no way. I just realized it. Was I really that obvious?”

She didn’t laugh at his shock and Gerri was extremely proud of herself for holding back. “Well…yeah, baby. You kind of were. At least to me, but maybe that’s my own gaydar coming into play. Who knows?”

Roman sat up then, almost reversing their previous positions as he leaned forward and slightly over her. “Wait, what do you mean your own gaydar? Gerri…are you a lesbian?”

She rolled her eyes at that because honestly. She loved the man, but he could be such an idiot sometimes. “No, dumbass. I’m in love and in a relationship with you. No matter how much you look like a twink, I’m not a lesbian. No, I’m bisexual. Maybe that’s how I could tell that you were some flavor of queer. I am too.”

“Holy shit. You’re…you’ve fucked a woman?!”

“Jesuschrist,” she muttered under her breath before focusing on him. “I don’t have to have fucked a woman to know I’m bisexual. Just like you don’t have to have fucked a man to know you’re bisexual. I mean I have fucked a woman, but that’s not the point.”

At that moment, Roman looked like his eyes might actually bug out of his head. His mouth dropped open and he effectively blue-screened as he clearly attempted to process the information she’d just given him. Gerri allowed him a few moments, but when he remained frozen in place she reached up to place a gentle hand on his cheek. She spoke softly, not wanting to startle him. “Rome? You okay in there?”

That was enough to bring him back to her. His eyes refocused and he looked down at her in confusion. “Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?”

“What?” His reaction had not been one she was expecting and Gerri really didn’t know how to respond.

Roman pushed back to sit back on his knees and gestured between the two of them. “You. You’re so- I don’t know, you’re just so casual about all of this. The Gerri I’ve known my entire life would never have so casually said that she was bisexual let alone that she’d fucked a woman. It’s not like you and it’s confusing as hell.”

Gerri sat up against the headboard and took both of Roman’s hands in hers. “Oh honey. There are so many reasons why I’m able to be casual about this. I’ve had fifty years to come to terms with my sexuality. I’ve had a couple of girlfriends, but the majority of my life has been spent married to Baird or married to my job or both. And the world has changed. Every reason I had for hiding my true self away is gone. Waystar, Logan, the social stigma in general. All of it is gone. I’m sixty-five years old and I am finally free to live my life how I want. Plus…it’s you. I don’t know that I would ever be so casually open in front of anyone except you.” She could see the pride fill his chest and smiled at him in return before finishing. “And I hope that you can be comfortable enough to be that open in front of me as well.”

Roman grinned and leaned forward to kiss her lightly. “It may take some time, what with me being me and all, but I’m sure I’ll get there. And together we can be a couple of bisexual icons. I love you, Ger-Bear.”

“I love you too, Rome,” Gerri replied after kissing him again.

They were going to be just fine.